Irish & Scottish Names Recommended Reading

This section is divided into Irish Names, Scottish Names, Welsh & Breton Names, Celtic names in General, and Place Names . There also is another page for Names in General.

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Irish Names

pros: If you're into Irish names, this book is indispensable.

cons: it's very scholarly, and names are alphabetized by their original Old Irish Spelling.

Pros: One of my favorite Irish baby name books--the information is accurate, and it's arranged by meaning as well as alphabetically.

Cons: The picture on the cover is kind of dumb. Seriously, that's the only fault I can find!

Pros: very accurate and user-friendly

Cons: not separated by gender, if you care. Also, doesn't include pronunciations.

Pros: interesting and entertaining. Arranged by subject by the authors of Beyond Jennifer & Jason.

Cons: doesn't have pronunciations, not always 100% accurate etymologies

Pros: accurate, contains lots of histories of names. Contains some popularity data

Cons: no pronunciations, not separated by gender

pros: This is a very good resource for Irish surnames.

cons: has a bunch of additions and appendices which are really hard to find.

Scottish Names

Pros: This the best resource I've found for Scottish Gaelic names.

Cons: it doesn't list that many names that are unusual. It also can be hard to find.

Pros: accurate, user-friendly, nice layout.

Cons: doesn't have that many names; not very comprehensive.

Pros: has lots of history, fairly comprehensive and accurate. Has names that are popular in Scotland though not necessarily Scottish in origin.

Cons: contains a lot of names that aren't necessarily Scottish--casual browsers may think some names are Scottish when they aren't.

Pros: lots of history, pretty accurate, nice layout.

Cons: Though there is generally at least a full paragraph about each name, there are relatively few names in this book.

Pros: lots and lots of history, a good source for surnames

Cons: I'm not a good enough genealogist to know if it's accurate or not, so I can't really find any. It doesn't look like there are a lot of names.

Pros: seems fairly comprehensive. Not a lot of history, but some

Cons: though it has some history for each name, there isn't a whole lot, if you are looking for it. The "Christian Names" section in the back isn't very accurate.

Pros: has lots of beautifully illustrated tartan pictures. includes family crests, badges, and mottos.

Cons: hard to find; there are probably a zillion books out there with the same info.

Welsh & Breton Names

Grand Choix de Prénoms Bretons by Gwennole le Menn

Pros: has a lot of names, The meanings seem to be pretty accurate (I don't know a lot about Welsh names, so I can't judge, but the names seem to jive with other sources I've found)

Cons: ?

note: This book was recommended to me by a good source. However, I haven't actually looked at it yet, so I can't verify its accuracy.

Pros: interesting histories and origins of Breton names

Cons: you have to read French (not in English). Hard to find.

Pros: comprehensive, interesting, contains pronunciation guide in the back.

Cons: hard to find, all in French.

Note: I have an extra copy I can sell you for $8.00+ shipping. It's in perfect condition. Email me if you're interested.

Celtic Names in General


Pros: fairly accurate & comprehensive. Has Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Cornish and Manx names. Has lots of name history. Cons: no pronunciations	Pros: seems pretty accurate. Names are divided by language. Has pronunciations & pronunciation guide. Has lots of name history. Cons: ?	Pros: user-friendly, fairly comprehensive, has lots of history Cons: not always 100% accurate.

Place Names


Pros: easy to navigate, has a lot of names Cons: I like it when place names are broken down into root words; this book does not do that. Also, doesn't say what county the places are in.	Pros: basically awesome. Cons: can't think of any.	note: This book was recommended to me by a good source. However, I haven't actually looked at it yet, so I can't verify its accuracy.	note: This book was recommended to me by a good source. However, I haven't actually looked at it yet, so I can't verify its accuracy. However, I have another book by this author that seems pretty good, so I'd trust him.